Three Years
by spuffyluv101
Summary: Three years since he had last seen Lex but the last one felt like an eternity
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own anything

A/N: Please review

Three years. That was how long it had been since he had last spoken to Lex. Three years of only seeing him in hallucinations. Three years since he had told Lex he wasn't exactly human.

He wasn't sure how Lex was going to react. Mad? Sure, Clark had lied to him for god knows how many years. Inquisitive? Hell, yeah, Lex didn't make it to the top of the scientific community by just letting something like that go. But scared? That wasn't even on the table. He didn't think his friend was going to freak out. Lex just didn't do that. Didn't think that Lex could hurt him. But he did.

Thing.

_ A thing that came to take over the world_.

Those words stayed with him. When he wouldn't talk to Chloe about what happened. When he decided against going home to the Kents.

Thing

He never thought he'd be alone. Lex had said their friendship would be the stuff of legends but in the end, well, there was that word: end. Legends don't end.

The papers said that Superman would become a legend. One that would be told to children of the next generation. They didn't understand that Superman wasn't going anywhere. He was there to stay. Never aging. Never dying. Until the end of the world.

"You have no idea how hard it is to find you."

Well, there he went again, voices. Conversations repeated over and over.

"I'm sorry."

That was new, normally it was accusations.

"Clark, I didn't mean it. It slipped out; I've been looking for you for three years, Clark, three years since I made that stupid comment. Your parents don't even know where you are. The only reason they know you're okay is because Superman saves the day. Clark, turn around, please."

He didn't want to turn. Didn't want the moment to end. He knew that if he turned there wouldn't be anyone there. Just like it always happened.

"Clark, say something."

He couldn't. They ridiculed him when he did. Said he was crazy and pumped more kryptonite into him.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"It's okay; I'm not scared of you."

He would be, if he were real. Who wouldn't be afraid of a freak like him? So he ran. Left the illusion, not looking back. Just like always.


	2. Chapter 2

_Three Years ago_

Chloe was talking. Something about another meteor freak. Clark hated that word.

Freak.

Every time he heard the word he flinched. It always seemed that whoever said it was talking about him.

He really didn't want to deal with it. Didn't understand why it always had to be him that saved the day.

"I just don't get why people don't realize that the meteor freaks have powers. They must have to lie all the time. And what's going to happen when their friends and family find out? I mean if I found out that you or Lana had powers that you weren't telling me about I would be pretty damn pissed." Chloe's comment hit home. That little nigging feeling in the back of Clark's head finally broke through like a dam.

"Chloe I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, wait, we have to figure out-" Chloe kept talking as he ran out of the house. It didn't really matter in the long run; Chloe would always forgive him. Lex was a different matter. And Lex was a whole lot more important than Chloe.

Clark didn't think much as he ran towards the mansion. He didn't want to. Didn't want to think that his friendship with Lex might be over in less than 30 minutes. Didn't want to think that he may doom himself to an eternity of lab tests. God he hoped that Lex wouldn't do that to him. Hoped that the years of friendship that they had shared would stop Lex from doing that.

Less than five minutes later he was there. Standing in front of Lex's door. Sometimes he wondered why Lex didn't have cameras set up there, watching, noticing that Clark always appeared out of nowhere.

Here goes nothing, Clark thought as he opened the door and walked, no super-speed today, down to Lex's office.

"Clark! What are you doing here? I thought you had something with Chloe today," Lex exclaimed as Clark entered the room.

This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Lex looking at him, trusting him.

"You hit me with your car." There. It was out. He could see the wheels turning in Lex's head. Trying to make sense of an impossible situation.

"By hit you mean-"

"I mean you hit me and pushed me through the guard rail. I should've died but I didn't. I wanted to tell you it's just"

"How didn't you? I've suspected…is it the meteor rocks? Why didn't you say something before Clark? We're supposed to be friends and now I find out that you're some kind of superhuman!"

He was getting angry.

"Alien."

"What?"

"I'm an alien, my parents , my birth parents they sent me here. My planet was going to be destroyed. I came with the meteor shower, but Lex, I didn't even know until you hit me with your car, and you're the first person I've told!" Lex was facing away from him. Still not reacting.

"Lex, come on, say something."

"The meteor rocks hurt you, that's why I've seen you bleed."

"Yes, they take away my powers; make me sick. Lex? Are we going to be alright?" Clark was getting scared. Lex still wouldn't look at him. And then Lex exploded.

"How the hell can you say ask that Clark. Ten minutes ago I thought you and I were going to be the stuff of legends and now I find out that you're not even human? After all the times I've asked you about the times you've saved me and each and every time I swallowed your god damn lies? We are not going to be alright. You and I, we're finished. I could never be friends with the likes of you. All you are is a freak, a thing that came to take over the world. Get out of my house. Now."

Clark ran.

Thing.

Thing.

Thing.

The words wouldn't stop ringing in his ears. And then pain. Something had struck him. Meteor rocks. The revelation struck as he faded into unconsciousness.

Down the road at the mansion Lex stood at the table looking down at the paper without truly reading it. And then a word stood out. Superman. Red-blue blur. Clark. Clark was superman.


	3. Chapter 3

24 hrs later

-Lex's point of view-

He had stayed up all night trying to figure things out. Whether or not he should forgive Clark was foremost on his mind. He really shouldn't. It would show weakness, forgiving someone who had lied repeatedly to his face.

But it was Clark.

The only person in all of Smallville who didn't seem to care who his father was, how much money he earned, or how much of a playboy he used to be.

And he was superman. Not just any meteor freak-no, meteors actually had nothing to do with his powers. It would be amazing to study Clark. The scientific discoveries that could be made, it would be astounding, life changing even.

Damn it.

No wonder Clark hadn't told him. Lex needed to call him. Not to apologize, he had the right to be angry, but to accept and forgive.

-Clark's view point-

The darkness was the first thing he noticed when he woke up. Pain was second. Clark looked down at the cuffs decorating his wrists. Glowing green even as the rest of the world was cloaked in black.

Memories from the night before came floating back: telling Lex, Lex's reaction, and then nothing. Someone had kidnapped him. It would be okay, Chloe would notice; she always did.

SLAM. A door over to the right somewhere opened. Blinding him for a moment with the light that was let in.

"Hello Kal El. How nice of you to drop by."

How did they know that name? He hadn't told anybody besides his family. "I didn't do it voluntarily, and my name is Clark Kent, not Kal El."

"Clark, Kal, Superman. It matters not what you are called as long as each of those names has the same blood. For that is all that we need to succeed in our plan."

Anger rose up inside him after the initial shock of the man knowing exactly who he was wore off. "You'll never get away with this. People are going to notice when Superman doesn't show up to save the world," Clark spat out.

"Whatever made you think that Superman wasn't going to put in an appearance? Why do you think we need your blood?" The man replied amusingly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your blood can give powers to a...friend of mine. He'll be taking your place for the time being. It was quite nice of you to end your friendship with Lex Luthor before we took you. I'm not sure how successful my friend would have been in convincing Lex that he was you, and God only knows what Lex would've done had he found out."

"Lex is still my friend," Clark shouted, hoping that what he said was true.

"Really? So friends accuse friends that they are, what was it, a thing that was out to take over the world? You must have a strange idea about friendship Kal El," the man laughed as he turned to exit, "Lex isn't coming for you, no one is."

The door clicked shut.

Clark couldn't breathe. Someone had to come for him. They had to.

-Lex's view point-

Clark wasn't answering his phone. Which was almost normal, but if he knew Clark, and he really thought he did, Clark would be waiting for him to call.

Something was wrong.

Oh right, it was ten in the morning; Clark was at school. No wonder he wasn't answering. Lex really needed to get his head out the clouds. Maybe he should go pick Clark up for lunch, or he could try something that didn't make him look like a total, utter loser, Lex thought as he slammed his fist into the wall. Which actually hurt given that the wall was made of stone.

Alright, screw this. He needed to talk to Clark. School would just have to wait until tomorrow.

Lex made it to the school in record time, amazing, given that he drove everywhere as fast as he could. Well, not so much now that he was friends with Clark, or rather the fact that he had hit Clark, and he knew now that he definitely had hit Clark, and should have killed him.

He walked into the front office and asked the lady at the front desk to call for Clark. It took a little convincing but the Luthor name did entail some favors.

The wait for Clark was excruciating. Lex still had no idea what he was going to say.

The door opened and Clark walked in, "Lex! What are you doing here?" Clark asked.

"We need to talk," Lex answered, realizing as he said the words that it seemed as if he and Clark were in a relationship, which was awkward, and not at all how a Luthor should sound.

"I'm in school Lex, can't this wait?"

"No, it really can't. I've already arranged with the school to let you out. Let's go." Lex said as he started out the door.

Clark followed but Lex couldn't help but notice that it was a little reluctantly. Odd, Lex had thought that Clark would have jumped upon the olive branch that Lex was offering. He had seemed keen enough to salvage their friendship last night. What had changed?

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	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited this story . It made me write more!

Six months later

-Lex's point of view

The past few months had been strange…to say the least. Most importantly, Clark wasn't acting Clark-like. When he had picked him up from school it had seemed as if Clark couldn't remember why he had decided to tell Lex about being an alien. After pressing him, Clark just said it was the right thing to do.

Obviously.

But something had to have set Clark off.

And there was the fact that it was almost as if Clark didn't particularly want to stay friends with Lex, only bothering to stop in when he needed money or other sorts of favors.

If Lex didn't know any better, and he did, since Superman was still making regular appearances, he would have thought that the person that was using Clarks body wasn't actually Clark.

Which was impossible. And he really didn't want to make Clark mad at him. Again.

-Clark's view point

Someone was in the room.

They must need more blood.

"Hey freak, how's it going?" The man's voice range through the small cell.

It wasn't going to be a good day. He wasn't one of the scientists. Just a guard. One that was hired to hurt him.

Clark didn't answer. It was better that way.

"You think you're too good to talk to humans? Huh?" And then the kicking started.

It didn't used to hurt. Before. When he wasn't full to brim with meteor rocks. But now…well now it took all his will power not to make any sounds.

Time passed. One big block of pain. The man was still yelling but the words didn't make much sense anymore. Nonsensical words about Clark being below him. Not deserving to live on this planet. Eventually he would leave.

And another one would come.

-Lex's point of view

Lana.

He never would have thought that it would have been Lana to make him finally realize that something was wrong with Clark.

Because Clark told him he didn't like Lana anymore in very definite terms. Thought she was too girly, unable to think for herself, etc. The reasons didn't matter so much as the fact that Clark was over her (thank god for that).

Until recently. Yesterday in fact, in the Talon. When Clark had informed Lex that he was going to ask Lana formal. Which was weird even if it wasn't Lana, considering Clark had all the courage of squirrel when talking to girls.

So Lex had asked why and in reply Clark said that he had always loved Lana and that didn't Lex know that? Giving his perfected quizzical stare that made it appear as if Clark was the definition of rightness and the person on the receiving end of the stare was insane, which in this case was Lex.

Then Lana walked up. With her meteor rock necklace. That was showing no sign of starting to glow anytime soon.

Luckily Clark, or whoever was impersonating Clark, didn't noticed Lex's realization as he was too focused on whatever Lana was saying. He hardly even noticed when Lex said his goodbyes and walked out the door.

It was kind of refreshing in a way. Knowing that this cold imitation of Clark wasn't actually Clark. Of course, then the panicking kicked in because Lex had no idea where the real Clark was.

Lex didn't really know what he was going to do. One thing for sure though, don't let Martha know. He would find Clark soon enough and it would be as if he was never gone. No use worrying her over nothing.

-Clark's point of view

Lex was talking to him again. Or rather the image of Lex that his mind had made up in its tortured state was talking to him. He knew that it wasn't Lex but he didn't particularly care.

It made him feel better imagining that Lex would be sorry about his state of being. Pretending that they were still friends. Sometimes he wondered whether Lex realized that Clark wasn't in Smallville anymore. The man said that Lex had moved a week after Clark had been kidnapped, but he wasn't so sure he believed that. Lex wouldn't have moved. It would have seemed to him as if he had lost. Surrendered to the almighty Clark.

Ha. Almighty Clark. If only all those people he had saved could see him now.

Cowering in a corner. Whimpering anytime someone walked through the door. He was actually thankful when it was someone who wanted to figure out the scientific miracle that was Clark's body.

He wished he had some clothes. The Lex in his mind said that clothes weren't worn for the first however many years of human history but it still was humiliating. The scars that riddled his body stood out against his skin that now had a slight green tint to it. He was amazed that kryptonite hadn't killed him yet. The scientists said that they were able to get a precise dosage, but that was sort of like saying that they had found the correct dosage of rat poison. Eventually the rat would die. Even if it took a couple of tries. He was starting to.

He wasn't hungry anymore. Good, considering they hardly fed him but he knew it wasn't just some alien thing considering he used to always be hungry. His body was breaking down.

He wasn't even sure if he was able to talk anymore; it had been so long since he had last spoken. Don't underused muscles just disappear? What was the word? Oh yeah, atrophy.

It didn't really matter in the long run though. Who was going to hear him talk? The last time he had tried they had locked him in box filled with liquid meteor rock and told him to "just keep swimming" mocking him with references to a time when he was able to see movies with friends. Needless to say he couldn't keep swimming and had ended inhaling the poison into his lungs.

That was the first time Lex had shown up.

At first it was only in dreams, making him almost grateful when he was hit hard enough to be knocked unconscious. Then he started to show up whenever Clark was hurting.

Well, if he had to go insane. Lex wasn't the worst hallucination he could have. It would be kind of nice if his face was the last thing he saw before died.

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	5. Chapter 5

Authors note: Sorry for the long delay. I couldn't think of anything to write but eventually I just made myself sit and do it. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews, they really made my day!

One year later

-Lex's point of view-

He was starting to go insane.

Well, more insane than he had been before this whole fiasco had occurred. The fiasco that was very much not Clark Kent.

One would think that the person impersonating Clark would have done a bit more research before delving into body snatching. It made Lex furious at himself that it had taken him six months to notice the differences.

Now they were all too apparent.

The new Clark was suave and very much in love with Lana; they'd been dating for a year now. He ditched Chloe, saying that she was like an annoying mosquito, always delving into things that she shouldn't be delving into. Which was true, but it didn't used to bother Clark. Chloe was probably too close to figuring out the truth about pseudo-Clark. There were the little things too of course. Not as much flannel, saying things that Clark would never say.

And no one was noticing. Yeah, Clark had graduated so Martha and Jonathon didn't see him as much but to not realize that their son was an imposter? It was absolutely ridiculous. If Lex had any hair when this began it would most certainly be gone now because of the many idiotic people that Lex had to put up with.

Sometimes he thought about shouting it to the world, or at least telling the Kents. But then he remembered. Fake -Clark had all of Clark's strengths and none of his weaknesses.

If only he could find where Clark was.

It was as if he had vanished off the face of the earth, and the inside of the earth for that matter, because Lex had checked there too.

"Mr. Luthor? Clark Kent is here to see you. Should I send him in?" Ah, yet another thing that was not Clark-like. Asking the damn butler to come and see him.

"Clark knows that he is always welcome in the mansion. Make sure to tell him that when you send him in," Lex answered. Thirty more seconds of blessed freedom from the monstrosity. Hopefully all it'll want is money and then Lex could send it on its way.

"Hey Lex! How's it going?" The thing had the audacity to smile at him as it invaded his personal space.

"The usual, trying to avoid Smallville's meteor freak of the week. How's the job at the Planet? Lois Lane giving you trouble?" Lois Lane, Lex's own personal form of revenge. It was nice knowing the higher ups at the Planet. It allowed for certain arrangements to be made.

"Lane…yeah that's actually what I want to ask you about. I was wondering if you could do me a favor? I want a new partner. Lois is completely and utterly crazy and it's really not working for me. I figured you knew someone at the Planet and could fix that for me?"

Here come the puppy dog eyes. Yep. There they were. These next few months were going to be fun.

"I'm sorry but I have no interest in newspapers. They're a dying breed. I never had any use for them anyways. I'm sure if you stick it out you'll get promoted out the bullpen."

"Come on Lex, you can't honestly expect me to believe that you know no one that works at the Planet?"

"On the contrary Clark. I know many people who work there but none of them have any say in who works with who. Now, if you like someone to bring you coffee I'm sure Jimmy Olsen would be happy to oblige."

The anger would come next, wait for it…

"God Lex, is everything a joke to you? I thought you were my friend." Replica-Clark shouted as it stalked out the door.

Yeah, Lex thought, he was Clark's friend. Which was why when he found Clark, he would get Clark a new partner.

And finding Clark was going to happen a whole lot sooner than he had previously thought. Pseudo-Clark had given him a brilliant flash of inspiration.

Lex knew who had taken Clark.

-Clark's point of view-

It was cold, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was too weak to break the restraints holding him to the lab table. Too weak to do anything but lie there like a pathetic little rag doll.

They had cut off his hand today.

Wanted to see if it would grow back. They put his wrist in one of those airlock containers that somehow kept the poison from flowing through his veins into his stump. Told him that if his hand did grow back and he tried to escape the container was rigged to an alarm that would set off a release of kryptonite.

His hand grew back.

It was absolutely amazing. Lex told him to try and escape. That maybe he could get through the door before the alarm was triggered.

Clark didn't try. His hand felt too good.

Which was a weird and totally stupid reason for not escaping but it was heaven.

No pain.

No pain at all. Just blissful airlock perfectness. No remembrance of the hand having been chopped off.

Besides, Lex was just the brave part of his mind. The part that made him a better person. Charging off to do stupid things. He didn't want to those things anymore.

Just wanted to lay back and concentrate on the fact that his hand was in heaven while the rest of his body was in hell.

But then the meteor rock that was in the rest of his system flowed into his hand and his little piece of silver lining disappeared.

That was okay though because maybe they'd chop off his foot tomorrow, or his entire arm.

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	6. Chapter 6

AN: OK so kinda important, I changed the first chapter a little because I realized that the real Clark isn't going to work at the Daily Planet or date Lana Lang so I took out that sentence and changed it. I also changed the line about seeing Lex in magazines to seeing him in hallucinations…my bad.

Lex's point of view

**Previously**: _Finding Clark was going to happen a whole lot sooner than he had previously thought. Pseudo-Clark had given him a brilliant flash of inspiration._

_ Lex knew who had taken Clark._

It should have been obvious. There weren't that many people who had access to the technology and money required for this kind of thing. A few years ago dear daddy Luthor would have been the first suspect but Lionel had long been reduced to an errand boy for LexCorp. Any money he made came directly from Lex and Lex wasn't stupid enough to give Lionel a large allowance.

_I thought you were my friend_.

Those words. Useless for fake-Clark when he used them. Would have been useless in the context in which they were used no matter who had said them. It was over a much too petty a matter. But they could hurt. They had hurt when Duncan had said them. When Lex had chosen someone else over Duncan.

Lex had never thought that he would be happy that his friendship with Duncan had ended the way it did.

Oliver Queen. CEO of Queen Industries. Sociopath with a vendetta against anyone different. And of course Clark would be a brilliant asset to the company.

It was time to bring Chloe in. Truth be told she probably already knew. Chloe Sullivan was the farthest thing from an idiot.

"Lex Luthor asking a reporter to have coffee with him. I do believe the world has stopped spinning."

"I suppose you're wondering why I want to talk to you."

"Well, let me think about that for a second. Even if Clark hadn't been acting freaky for the past forever, he's the only thing that we have in common. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." Chloe replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"He's not Clark," Lex said, which probably wasn't the best way to break that. "What I mean is that the-"

"Oh thank God!"

Wait, what? "I'm not sure what you mean by that, I just told you that-"

"Clark isn't Clark? Yeah, I know. I thought I was the only one to notice. I mean the Kents haven't noticed anything different and they see Clark more than I do. Besides that, they're his freaking parents."

For once Lex was glad that his suspicions had been confirmed. Before now there had always been that lingering doubt that maybe he had been wrong. That Clark was just acting strange.

"When did you figure it out?" Lex asked. He sincerely hoped it wasn't before him.

"A few weeks ago. I was out with Clark and Lana, which should have been the tip off right there, and Lana asked Clark who his first kiss was. Clark said it was Hannah Burke. Which I knew was wrong because they kissed at the end of eight grade and he and I kissed at the beginning. So then I-"

"You and Clark kissed? When was this? Clark never said anything."

"Not the important part of the story Lex. Yes, I kissed Clark 'cause he was acting awkward around me when we first met. No big deal. Anyways, I thought that maybe he was just being nice since I was sitting right there so when Lana went to the bathroom I asked him why he lied and Clark had no idea what I was talking about."

"And that one slip was enough to tip you off? Because honestly? Clark doesn't have the best memory."

"Hmm? Oh, then Lana came back and I noticed that she was still wearing, uh, still the same Lana and Clark never would have asked her out."

Chloe knew. That was interesting. Any other time and Lex would have been angry that Clark had told someone before him. "Still wearing her meteor rock necklace?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Chloe said, biting her lip.

Lex had thought that a prerequisite for becoming a reporter was an ability to lie. Apparently not. "Clark told me about his secret. Right before he disappeared."

"Clark told you? Clark would never tell you, heck, he wouldn't tell anybody!"

"Well he obviously told you, why wouldn't he tell me?" Besides the fact that nobody in Smallville trusted Lex.

"You think that Clark told me? Wow. No, he doesn't even know that I know. He wouldn't ever tell me, especially after I basically told him that I would hate him if he had powers. Not the smartest move on my part. I always say these stupid things without thinking and now I'll probably never see him again to apologize 'cause he might even be dead."

"Chloe! Clark is not dead and you are going to see him again if you just calm down. Do you have access to Oliver Queen? Could you get an interview with him?"

"I suppose so, but how is this going to help Clark?"

Perhaps Chloe wasn't as smart as he had given her credit for. "Oliver Queen has Clark."

"What does he want with Clark?"

"Oliver doesn't like meteor freaks. They creep him out. Besides, you and I both know that Clark's blood could advance medical science years into the future."

"How do I know that you're not just sending me on a wild goose chase while you move Clark to Siberia where no one will ever find him?"

"Chloe, if I had Clark I wouldn't have to worry about anyone finding him. Two, you would be the last person I would talk to about Clark since your mind would immediately jump to me. And three, I would never lock Clark up in a lab because I am completely and utterly in love with him."

AN: Next chapter we rescue Clark!

and also, I got no reviews for the last chapter :( which is a little disheartening but really I'm just not sure anyone is reading this and if I should continue writing it. so…yeah.


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